1. Truth: I’m on summer vacation!!! Yesterday afternoon, I finished up the last thing on my to-do list, cleaned up my desk, made arrangements to have someone water my plants while I was gone, and put my out of office message on my email. This morning, even though I could have, I couldn’t even sleep in because I was so excited to be on vacation.
2. Truth: This is a very different start to the summer than last year. I had the flu, was really sick with a cough, aches, snuffy/runny nose, fever, and awful fatigue. My foot was bothering me but I had yet to realize it was Plantar Fasciitis, (that would come later in the summer), and I had one other thing going on that I don’t even like to talk about because it’s sort of embarrassing (not to mention painful), even though I really have no reason to be embarrassed about it. And, to add insult to injury (and illness), I was off contract but kept being asked to do more work. I was so depressed. At about six weeks into summer, I had a complete meltdown, scheduled a meeting with my boss, and changes where made that meant leaving this year for break was so much easier.
3. Truth: I expect that this summer will be better. For one thing, we are going to the beach for almost two months. And I have a whole month before we leave to work in my garden, clean my house, see friends, walk my dogs, read, take naps, etc. And don’t worry — I know exactly how lucky I am.
One wish: May we all have a summer filled with ease, rest, and joy, no matter how or where we spend it. And if you are having a summer like I had last year, may you get the healing, the relief and rest you need, and be comforted in the knowledge that “this too shall pass.”
2. It’s Your Job, Not Your Life, how to avoid overinvestment in your job from Inside Higher Ed. “Overworked, exhausted, dejected? If so, you may be treating your job like it’s your whole life instead of one piece of a much larger pie, advises Kerry Ann Rockquemore.” This was written for academics, but I think it applies to everyone.
3. The Anti-Diet Project, hosted on Refinery29, “an ongoing series about intuitive eating, sustainable fitness, and body positivity.” I found this through the latest post in the series, What Is Rational Fitness” & Why Should You Try It? The author, Kelsey Miller, had some really important things to say about some of the negative feedback she’d gotten from pictures of her that accompanied the article,
I shouldn’t be astonished by anything anymore. I should have a callus as thick as a brick wall. After years of reading garbage and threats, I should expect nothing but the worst in people. But I’m still floored by what I read in response to this week’s #AntiDietProject, which was illustrated with photos of me at the gym. @Refinery29 also posted this photo on Instagram, which many cheered (thanks, buddies!) but which brought out the crazy and hateful in others. Normally, I don’t listen to those voices anymore — those people who tell me they hope I die, who make assumptions on my health and lifestyle, who say I should be ashamed for what I’m “promoting.” In this case, I was promoting healthy exercise. What’s almost comical is that those people often defend their vitriol by saying they’re “just trying to help.” I don’t respond to ignorance and prejudice, so this isn’t for them. This is for everyone else. This is for the people who don’t go to the gym because they’re afraid of being seen. This is for those who hide their upper arms because of those monsters — and that is what they are. And just like monsters, their threats are built on fabrication and our own fear. They can’t hurt you unless you believe in them. They’re not worth lifting your middle finger for. Anyway, today, I’m doing it for you — for all of us. And tomorrow, I’ll put on my tank top and head back to the gym. I think it’s pretty cute.
9. Axis of Awesome address one of their members transitioning in the best possible way. “Popular Australian comedy/musical act Axis of Awesome had a pretty big decision to make when lead singer Jordan Raskopoulos publicly came out as transgender earlier this year. When they started touring again, would they do a speech at the beginning of each show to address the issue? Or would they ignore it, hoping everyone had heard the news and moved on? What would be the best way to bring it up with their audience, while still maintaining the comedy and music they are renowned for?” In related news, These Moms Of Transgender Kids Are Doing Parenting Right.
10. Columbine Shooting Survivor: ‘The Shooting Derailed Me, I Became an Addict.’ For so many addicts, this is the heart of the problem: “‘I learned to manage emotional pain with substances,’ he says. In addition to his continued use of prescription opioids, his drug use eventually expanded to include alcohol, cocaine and ecstasy, he says. ‘I learned I didn’t have to process emotion. I could keep myself numb if I was on substances.'”
12. The Unhealthy Truth Behind ‘Wellness’ and ‘Clean Eating.’ I saw a meme on Instagram just the other day that implied that if you ate healthy, you’d never be sick, never need medicine, (basically the “food is either poison or medicine” mythology), and it’s exactly that sort of confusion makes this article a really important read.
13. Actually, more data might not be what you’re hoping for from Seth Godin. An important read for, “Anyone who’s making a long-term commitment. Anyone who seeks to make art, to make a difference, to challenge the status quo.”
15. DIY Dharma: You Have Everything You Need on Lion’s Roar, “You have a mind, body, thoughts, and a natural bent toward awakening. From that great beginning, Buddhist teacher Judy Lief offers helpful guidelines for the path ahead of you.”
16. This Moment is Enough from Zen Habits. “What if we paused right now, and saw everything in this present moment around us (including ourselves), and just appreciated it for what it is, as perfectly enough?”
19. Still. I’ve shared this project before, but it’s worth another look. “This blog posts one image, daily, of gathered natural objects found near me…Still blog is a place to stop. A place to look at one thing at a time. A place to be still.”
23. Quitting Your Job To Travel Isn’t Brave. It’s Lucky. “The problem I have is with the recurring narrative that quitting your job to travel the world is inherently a noble act, when sometimes it just means that you are very, very fortunate.” Word.
1. Truth: I’m on summer vacation!!! Yesterday afternoon, I finished up the last thing on my to-do list, cleaned up my desk, made arrangements to have someone water my plants while I was gone, and put my out of office message on my email. This morning, even though I could have, I couldn’t even sleep in because I was so excited to be on vacation.
Open Space Practice, (AKA: A Thousand Shades of Gray) 